the Sopranos Fans were originally treated to a scene that would reveal one of the show’s biggest mysteries.
On January 10, 1999, james gandolfini Made his debut as a depressed gangster tony sopranoconsidered a character One of the greatest TV roles of all time, Gandolfini was supported by an indelible cast of supporting actors, including Edie Falco, who played Tony’s wife Carmela, and tony siricoWhose Polly Walnuts became a fan favorite throughout the show’s six seasons.
of the late sirico Paulie found himself at the center of many of the show’s funniest moments, with his best moment coming 23 years ago – on May 6, 2001 – when the series aired the 11th episode of its third season.
That episode, titled “Pine Barrens”, was the first of four episodes directed by Steve Buscemi.
“Pine Barrens” quickly became a viewer favorite and, to date, stands as the show’s highest-rated episode with an IMDb score of 9.7 – surpassing the dramatic season four finale, “Whitecaps”, the fifth season’s gruesome episode. Is more than. “Long Term Parking” and the divisive series finale “Made in America”.
The episode starts off like any other, but slowly turns into a two-hander involving Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli) and Paulie Gualtieri (Tony Sirico), when a Russian named Valery (Vitaly Baganov) One thing goes wrong with the person.
After Valerie escapes their clutches, they become trapped in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, a vast rural forest spanning more than seven counties.
Despite spending the remainder of the episode searching for him, the pair are never able to find him. The mystery surrounding Valerie’s whereabouts has generated much speculation from fans over the past two decades.
It is the focus of so much debate that author Terence Winter once said that the question he “gets asked more than any other” is: “Where are the Russians?”
Watch Apple TV+ Free for 7 Days
New customers only. £8.99/month. After the free trial. Schedule auto-renew until canceled
Watch Apple TV+ Free for 7 Days
New customers only. £8.99/month. After the free trial. Schedule auto-renew until canceled
However, there was actually going to be a scene in the show that made this clear. It will be featured in season six as the show nears its conclusion.
Sirico revealed the new York Times This sequence in 2007 will see Christopher and Paulie attack Valerie outside a bar and shoot her dead. Producer David Chase deleted the scene.
“I think David didn’t like it,” Sirico said, “he just wanted the audience to be upset.”
Speaking about Valerie in a 2008 interview, Chase said: “Well, that’s what happened. Some Boy Scouts found the Russian, who had the telephone number of his boss Slava in his pocket. He called Slava, who took him to the hospital where he underwent brain surgery. Then Slava sent him back to Russia.
In 2021, Falco revealed that she once reprized her role of Carmela Soprano with James Gandolfini, who played Tony. Short film set after the conclusion of the show he must have been clean What happened in the divisive final scene,